angellily0330

Yup, I'm moving from South Florida to New York in a few days. Kinda nervous, but excited for a new climate and lifestyle.

Lived in: US, my whole life. Been to a number of states and cities. Travelled to Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica and Guatemala in the Americas. For Europe: been to England, France, Italy (vacation). Then Czech Republic for study abroad. While I was there I travelled to other countries (Slovakia, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary) and other cities in CZ. I really loved being in Prague, and while I was only there for 2 months and don't consider myself having "lived" there, I find myself thinking about it often and really longing for it (days such as today). I would like to live in Prague at some point in my life. The other city I really liked was Budapest. There is so much of the world I have left to see, entire continents that I haven't even set foot on. I've had many great opportunities to visit other countries and cities. I really hope I can still travel to an extent while I'm in grad school. Obviously, I won't have the dollars rolling in from my stipend, but I still think it can be done (I've never had much money to begin with). I'm not expecting to be able to take weeks off at a time, but travel is good for me. Additionally, there are so many places right here in the US that I have yet to explore, so they'll be going on my bucket list soon enough. Sorry for the long ramble. Today seems to be one of those days where I'm longing to travel. Of course it's right before finals week too. Ah well, there is always the Internet and photos for my daily dose of nostalgia.

I'm having a grad student send me some IR/CP articles to read this summer. Perhaps you can reach out to someone in the program to give some good reading articles/point you in the right direction.

I'll be in Maxwell too! I agree about the housing. They gave an off campus housing tour, but I wasn't able to go because of my flight. Hoping I don't end up in a bad area. It's really hard to find a place when you aren't on location.

I'll be doing some math work in the summer as well, will probably do an online calc course. I definitely need a refresher, as the last time I did calculus was senior year of high school.

I was also at a crossroads a few months ago. My goals were to do government agency work eventually, but after doing research for some months, I wondered if there were any other paths for me and my interests. Currently, I'm on the fence on what I want to do after grad school---I keep hearing how horrible the academic job market it, and I'm not sure if I like teaching/ am cut out for it. On the other hand, I could still see myself working for the government, or something similar (NGO, IO, etc.) but the job market isn't easy for that either. In spite of all of this, graduate school was the best option for me because whatever I ultimately decide to do, I need something more than a BA. I have some time to figure out what path I ultimately want to carve out for myself, and I can do that while pursuing an education. I cannot give insight in regards to getting a JD. But perhaps it would be a good idea for you to figure out if you want a JD, or a political science based graduate degree. That is a good first step. Either way, best of luck.

I knew that I wanted to pursue higher education, and I didn't see the point of waiting. I am not burned out, as I feel many people are by this stage. I love doing research, and there are so many topics that I would like to explore more in depth. Once I found out about fully funded PhD programs, this seemed like the best option academically and financially. I've had to work really hard with time management and balance in undergrad, so I know I can expect lots of hard work to come. Also, a BA in my field just doesn't amount to much. I would have to do some major hustling just to score an internship in my field (best case scenario), and even then, I'd still need the schooling eventually. For me, I would rather go straight into a PhD program now rather than later. Finally, I'm at a point in my life where I don't have any other major responsibilities.

If you don't get a job, is anyone planning on taking out loans? I've been looking at the cost of attendance, and things like school fees and books are something I might need help paying for. I'm not sure if I can incur those initial costs with my stipend alone.

I'll be looking for housing, and hopefully get that figured out before the summer starts. I'm hoping to do an internship abroad this summer, but if that doesn't work out for some reason, I'll be reading journal articles and whatnot at home. And just trying to enjoy summer.

I was under the impression most programs wouldn't let you work it you were doing courses +TA/RA. I wouldn't say it's feasible if you are doing it full-time. I'm worried about living on the stipend alone as well, but I'll have to make it work somehow.

What would make you happier about program B? I think it would help if you had a pros and cons list For example, what are the negatives of each program. You've listed a lot of positives, which is great, but what are some not so great qualities about each? That might make your choice easier.

I'm gonna say wait until after the visit. Recruitment days are a great opportunity to get to see and know the school, and you'd be committing to something for the next 5-6 years. Three more weeks won't hurt.

It's not about being a slave but everyone has to make sacrifices. To quote Parks and Rec: "Sometimes you gotta work a little, so you can ball a lot" (Tom Haverford).

Yeah I totally understand, I turned down an internship for this summer for that exact same reason. I still think you have plenty of opportunities for higher education. Definitely try to find some other professor(s) in the political science department at your school who might be willing to help you figure some stuff out. They've been in the game longer, they know what admissions committees are looking for, and as much as we like to pretend we know what we are talking about here, we are all just applicants ourselves